Child care endowment fund created

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The Council of Graduate Students, or COGS, passed a resolution Wednesday to establish a child care endowment fund for MSU graduate students.

Initially, COGS is providing $20,000 to start the endowment started and provide immediate assistance to students. During a five-year period, COGS would continue to provide $2,000 a year.
Ultimately, the investment equals the $30,000 required by the university to create an endowment,COGS President Stefan Fletcher said.

“The endowment will be through the university — through the financial aid office,” he said. “We’re hoping to start granting money if not this semester, then the next.”

The resolution previously was discussed during a December 2010 meeting. The representatives decided to table it to further discuss the issue with constituents.

Representatives for COGS are hoping the endowment can become a self-sustaining fund, said Adam Lovgren, vice president for graduate welfare. To achieve that, COGS representatives are approaching various academic departments.

“The College of Engineering has agreed to provide a one-time $2,000 grant,” Lovgren said. “I’ve approached the College of Agriculture (and Natural Resources). We’re still in discussions, but they’ve said they will provide something.”

He said COGS has approached those colleges and others in hopes additional funding would allow the endowment to grow over time.

Five university departments, including the Office for International Students and Scholars and the Vice President for Student Affairs and Services, also have agreed to supply $2,000 a year during a five-year period.

Fletcher said the ideal funding in the long term would come from private donors who are interested in helping to maintain the endowment fund. One such potential donor is the Mildred B. Erickson Fellowship, with whose board Fletcher has been in discussions.

Lovgren emphasized the large number of graduate students attending MSU with children during the meeting.

“In spring of 2010, COGS had a survey that went out to all graduate and professional students,” he said during the meeting.

“From the responses, 16 percent indicated they had children.”

Michelle Russell, a doctoral student in the Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, said during the meeting she is expecting her first child and anticipating the cost.
“I’ve been shocked by going through all the day care centers,” she said.

“(Child care) is $12-13,000 a year. This is only going to be my first child. I know we won’t be able to provide for another child for three years.”

Current grants offered by MSU for child care services are not eligible to international students. The COGS endowment fund would extend financial support to the international community.

Michael Beasley, the representative from Student Parents on a Mission, or SPOM, said during the meeting this sort of fund would be helpful.

“(My wife and I) know a lot of other international students and a lot of them tend to be older and have families as well.

That makes it even more challenging for them to pursue their education and academic goals,” he said.

Fletcher said the next step after Wednesday’s meeting is to sit down with the Office of Financial Aid and finalize some of the administration work required to create the fund.

Leslie Jablonski, representative for the School of Hospitality Business, said she was glad the endowment had been approved.

“As a whole, I think we could potentially lose a lot of wonderful graduate students because they can’t afford to have their kids here,” she said.

“If we don’t consider having an endowment like this, we could lose out on a lot of professional students.”

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